Memoirs of a Forgotten War
by LeighEm
Summary: One thousand years. That's how much time had passed since the imprisonment of Hyrule. That's how long they lived in ignorance. Then the journals of a long deceased princess and an unknown boy from the forest surface, shining light on a time that was lost. This is their story. 50 drabbles of the Hero of Time and Zelda/Sheik. Zelink.
1. Prologue - Hero

**A/N:** Two new stories in a span of a month? I must of lost it. Or in way over my head. One of the two.

Anywho! My justification for this story exists solely because Ad Infinitum is so mentally taxing that sometimes I forget how to write. I recently have been playing through Ocarina of Time (AGAIN) as I managed to get a hold of a 3DS version (which is GORGEOUS by the way, definitely recommended) and I have all these crazy one shots flitting through my head as I play. So naturally I write them down and I've accumulated so many that I finally decided to publish the darn things as a theme challenge. You may have noticed I specified 50 drabbles and not the typical 100 mainly because 1.) I rarely ever see them completed 2.) I know myself and I know that I won't be able to achieve 100. 50 is pushing it.

Basically, Ad Infinitum is top priority even though I've put in a heck of a lot more work for this story so far, and really, I just wanted to share it with all of you. Many of these snippits will be reminiscent of scenes from the game while others are taken from a very crazy part of my brain. These chapters can be read out of order as the installments themselves aren't exactly structured. You'll see what I mean.

PS. The point of view fluctuates between first and third person. First for the journal entry and third for the actual memory. Again, you'll see what I mean.

* * *

Memoirs of a Forgotten War

In the great land of Hyrule, there echoes a legend. A legend that few know and even fewer believe. It tells of a boy from a forest who took up arms against darkness, a princess who became a vagabond in her own kingdom, and a great evil that wrought chaos upon the country.

One thousand years have passed since the time the legend claims to have originated from. Castles have been torn and rebuilt, monarchies risen and fallen, queens had died and others were born. People lived and people died in the name of peace. Yet none of them knew why they were given such a privilege. None cared to find out.

Until one fateful day, two antediluvian relics were discovered in the dungeons of the fifth Hyrule Castle. Dungeons which had been untouched each and every time the walls were built anew. These relics were locked away under a multitude of magical enchantments, only broken by those skillfully trained in powerful sorcery. Once opened they were revealed to be periodicals, one written in almost illegible scrawl and the other in elegantly ancient handwriting, each illustrating an era that was never recorded. Never remembered.

Together, they were comprised of thousands of written words detailing inconceivable journeys, gruesome battles, and a forlorn bond of deep affection.

They were memoirs of a forgotten war.

* * *

 _Seven years after the destruction of Hyrule, ninth of February, day of his awakening, Temple of Time_

 _Running. That is all I had ever known for the past eighty-four months of my life. Run or die. I was weary. I was tired. But most of all, I was hopeless. I had trained every day in seditious secret, preparing myself physically as well as mentally for the great battle that was to come. Only a year had passed when I had foolishly deemed myself as fortified, much to Impa's admonition, and was ready to set off to find him; the boy from the forest. It had been Impa's words that awoke me from my juvenile drivel and my unrealistic dreams of saving my kingdom as a mere child._

" _I'm afraid we would not find him, even if we searched now, Princess. Even if you were ready. He was too young to be the Hero of Time. They're keeping him in the Sacred Realm— a deep sleep that he will not wake from until the sword deems him worthy."_

 _And so began the running. The waiting. The hope for an absolution that wouldn't come. I realize now, in retrospect that if Impa had indulged me, allowing me to roam Hyrule as the child that I was then I most certainly would have been killed. I spent another six years honing the lost art of the Shiekah tribe, learning their hidden skills and perfecting my disguise._

 _All the while, I never stopped checking in on him. Each time he seemed to grow larger, older, and stronger. A man fit to wield the legendary blade. Navi always said that she hoped seven years in a coma would be enough to quell that obstinate recklessness of his. I had always longed to understand what she meant by that. It was then, as I stared down at his closed eyes and matured visage, that I realized I wished I had known him. I wished to know the boy that he was and the man that he would become._

 _I promised myself that day that I would do everything in my power to aid the boy from the forest— the boy who had transformed into a Hero._

* * *

 **Hero**

A bright cerulean light filled the shaded chamber like a beacon in a world of darkness. She shielded her eyes with bandaged fingers and shied away, seeking refuge in the shadows. When she opened them again, what she saw momentarily left her without thought, without the ability to do anything but stare in wonder. This was the moment she had waited seven long years for. The moment that kept her fighting even when she felt like letting her knees sink to the earth in defeat. This was the moment that kept her standing.

Before her was the man that had once been the small wide-eyed boy in her courtyard so long ago. They had both been so young, so naïve. Now they were fulfilling roles of a destiny that couldn't lead them further away from infantile indulgences and child-like innocence. They lived in a war-torn kingdom that was made up of nightmare fuel and ghosts of what had been. Soon, he too would bear witness to this.

His transformation had been forthcoming for so long, yet she was no less stupefied as if she couldn't believe what she was really seeing. She watched from the rafters above as he murmured something to his fairy-companion and awkwardly made his way down the small flight of stairs in his unfamiliar body. He struggled to secure the strap of his sheath and the shield on his back, fumbling as it hung askew off of his shoulder. Once he righted himself, he continued forward and she took the moment as her cue.

Landing on her feet without a sound behind him, she had been unprepared for his keen sense of awareness. In one swift motion that spoke nothing of practice and everything of pure intuition, he had drawn that legendary blade and whirled around to face her, blue eyes flashing with a cynical heat.

"Who are you?"

His voice was deep, raspy, and unused. It held an inflection of something that she associated with her last memory of him when he called out to her as she escaped on horseback. The recognition was comforting.

She stood rooted to her spot in front of the pedestal and hardened her gaze. Yes, it was comforting but she had to remember her place. Everything that Impa had taught her in preparation for this moment came flooding back to her. She was no longer Zelda, thus she did not harbor Zelda's feelings. She would act as his guide, nothing more.

And that would have to be enough.

"Be at ease, Hero. I stand before you in the name of peace."

Something passed through his eyes, a flicker of yearning— an inclination to trust. But he held back and it was gone as quickly as it came.

"How do you know who I am?"

 _How do I not?_

"I am Sheik, of the Sheikah tribe and I have been waiting for you."

Extending her name seemed to ease a bit of the tension and he allowed his sword hand to falter slightly. His eyebrows knitted together in a sudden realization. "Sheikah? But didn't they die out—"

"Seventeen years ago."

Sheik could tell by the expression on his face that it hadn't been what he was about to say. He blinked as if processing the information and once understanding its verity he nodded. "Then how are you here? A few wee— seven years ago —Impa told me she was the last of her kind."

"Yes, well, many things have changed since you were last awake, Hero. You'll find that this world is not the same as you remember it."

Once the words escaped her lips she realized the crushing weight that they held and instantly regretted the way in which she said them. The hero's demeanor visibly deflated as if he had already known this fact— Rauru had told him no doubt —but her blunt words were just more salt in an already tender wound. She watched as he quickly regrouped himself, hardening in a way she hadn't seen before. It made something inside her stir, something that she herself had undergone time and time again and it made her pity him.

"There is a legend that has been passed down amongst my people for generations. A legend that has just become history," she began, wanting to erase the perilous feelings that she felt and fulfill the role that she had promised Impa she would uphold. "When evil usurps the land, an awakening call from the Sacred Realm will beckon those destined to become Sages. Six in total, one of which you have already met in the Temple of Light. Together with the Hero of Time, the Sages will subdue the evil and bring forth a halcyon era of peace.

"Do you understand the fate that befalls you?"

A part of her, a very small part, had been afraid of his response. Perhaps he wasn't the chosen hero after all. Perhaps even the Master Sword mistook him for someone else. But as she stood there watching him in a faint stream of haloed light, the same light that caught the gleam of the legendary blade and the firmness in which he held it, she knew that part of her had been mistaken. This was the man that would, and could, live up to the great prophecy of old. If anyone could save her kingdom from the brink of utter annihilation— it would be him.

She had waited seven years.

"Yes, I do."

And with a concealed smile, she knew that she had gambled on the victor.

"Then you know what must be done. Due to Ganondorf's evil influence, the Sages have not heeded their call. The first awaits you in a deep forest— a girl I'm sure that you remember."

He nodded once and finally without trepidation sheathed his sword.

"Now go, Hero. Time is of the essence."

He looked past her obliquely as if in silent contemplation then thought better of it before meeting her gaze again. His fairy flitted around his head, remaining silent just as she had promised. With an air of resolution, he turned on his heel and continued on his way through the archway of the Door of Time as if nothing had transpired at all.

Unbeknownst to him, the fairy lingered momentarily to which Sheik gave an understanding nod. Then she sped off to catch up with her partner who had stopped as if he remembered what he wanted to say. He turned his head slightly over his shoulder, not quite facing Sheik but grinning faintly all the same.

"My name is Link by the way, not hero. Just Link."

His unexpected words unhinged her. She stood there trying to formulate a coherent and appropriate response but before any syllables were uttered through her veil he had already turned away and disappeared into the temple. She smiled despite herself, the odd feeling of warmth creeping back into her skin even through all the bindings covering her body. This time she didn't bother to quell it.

"Good luck, Link."

Then she too, disappeared into the night.


	2. Proposition

**A/N:** It's been quite difficult to figure out what kind of order I should put these things in. It's a little misshapen on purpose as if someone is sporadically flipping through journal entries but I also want it to have smooth flow. For example, a few buffer chapter before things get heavy, a bit of a introduction, etc. There are going to be "key" chapters, if you will, that will mark certain turning points (shouldn't be too hard to figure out if you're familiar with the game) so many of these themes will take place before and after these key chapters. One of them I should inform you about now and that is Sheik's gender.

First, Sheik IS Zelda in this story just as it canonically should be. The only difference is Link's knowledge of that fact. The second bit is his knowledge of her gender. He will figure this out separately and until then, Sheik's gender will be referred to as a "he". I suppose this is also a good rule of thumb in discerning the difference between which chapters are before that said event or after.

Let me know if you need something further clarified!

* * *

 _Tenth of March, twenty-nine days upon awakening, Kakariko Village_

 _It had been hard— waking up after seven years of sleep. Everyone that I had known was gone, had disappeared, died, aged, or was simply unrecognizable. The most difficult part was going back home— to the forest, only to find that Ganondorf's influence spread even to the most innocently sacred of places. My treehouse had been destroyed, nothing but ash on the ground. Many other houses looked the same. The pure water of the forest that pooled into our grove had turned into a sickening brown waste, an indistinguishable and foul-smelling liquid. All of my childhoods friends were in hiding, two of them were killed— children who were supposed to be immortal._

 _Finding Saria was a relief, even if she was a sage. At least she was safe. No longer would she have to fear for her life inside that wretched temple or watch our precious forest become a breeding ground for monsters. Even Mido, my childhood adversary, was a welcome sight. He was among the rest of the Kokiri that I saved. I did what I could for the forest that had been my home, cutting down the sprouted deku babas and gutting the rabid wolfos that nested in our beds._

 _Everything had changed._

 _And it was hard._

 _But there was one thing that hadn't. Many times it was what pulled me back from the brink of insanity. Saving me when red potion could not and renewing my sense of hope when it felt as though I had nothing left._

 _That was my friendship with Navi._

* * *

 **Proposition**

"Navi, please."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"For me?"

"Wingshreds, _no_ Link!"

"But what if I —"

"I am _not_ going to deign myself to such mummery just so you can get your grubby hands on a blue rupee!"

"Actually I would need a red rupee…"

"UGH!"

"Navi, wait! Come back—!"

He sighed deeply before giving chase to the small glowing orb that was currently speeding off through a maze of bricked buildings. They passed by a fruit vendor whom Navi expertly dodged by whizzing through a gap in a pyramid of nectarines while Link was less fortunate. His hip clipped the edge of the stand, causing the cheaply crafted structure to give way to a violent tremble. He was already far gone by the time he heard a fountain of produce hit the ground and a very angry yell of vexation in response. He glanced back with a sheepish smile and a half-hearted, "Sorry!" Yet it would be his undoing because upon turning back around he realized the small glowing light was nowhere to be seen. Swearing under his breath, he tore off down an alleyway and hoped for the best.

Twenty minutes later, he found the smug fairy sitting listlessly in a tree in the center piazza of the village. Link on the other hand, was wheezing and doubled over with hands on his knees. Seven years of sleep really took a toll on his endurance. Hero of Time, death by overexertion by his tiny fairy. He inwardly grimaced at the de-masculinizing thought.

"You aren't—" he gave a couple of puffing coughs, "—supposed to fly away from me!"

He could practically see her crossed her arms through her blinding aura. "Oh?"

Ignoring the queer glances he was receiving from the nearby townsfolk— something he was very accustomed to by now— and a few more ragged breaths he stared her down in exasperation, "We're partners! Partners don't fly away from each other!"

She gave him a chastening look and fluttered down from her perch so that she was eye-level with his stooped head. "And partners aren't supposed to objectify each other for their own selfish whims!"

Breathing heavily but no longer panting, Link stood erect and cocked his head to the side in feigned-innocence. "Navi, you wound me. Objectify? I would _never—_ "

"Cut the Keaton dung! You want to use my fairy-like charm on that poor lady so you can get your way. Well, I don't think so!"

"Nobody can resist a fairy! Come on, just this once. It's only a measly red rupee and I really need that shield for the Fire Temple!" He pleaded in growing petulance.

She was inches away from the tip of his nose and he stared her down with crossed eyes. It really wasn't helping his situation. "Then go break someone's pottery stash like you normally do!" she screamed in her high-pitched squeal. They had garnered the peculiar looks of several onlookers at this point but the hero and the fairy were too engrossed in their squabbling to notice.

Overcome with a renewed sense of indignation he leaned in closer so that he could feel the light flutter of her wings on his nose, "That was one time!"

The two partners stared at each other until a breeze whispered past their irate faces and Link blinked to keep the dust out of his eyes. Navi flittered backwards, arms still crossed, and gave out a disgusting grunt that was very unbecoming of her.

"I'm so out of here."

Link's eyes widen in growing panic, "Wait!" And for some reason she did so the hero took the opportunity to go in for the kill, his lips curling into an unbidden smile complete with a strange gleam in his eye. "I'll dig you up some deku grass," he sing-songed.

As if he had spoken aloud a magical incantation, the fairy froze, her visage transforming into a state of conflict. She bit her lip anxiously and stared at him with unintentional pleading eyes. A cocksure smirk later, Link knew he had won.

It was a last resort, really, but she was giving him no other choice so he pulled out all the stops. Deku grass. He wanted to shudder at the thought. Foul feculence is what it was. It reeked of rotten garlic and something akin to festering carrion cucco that hadn't been gutted and left out in the sun to collect flies. The worst part?

She suckled on the damned rubbish. _Suckled._

It was revolting. He always had to seek refuge elsewhere while she did her… _devouring._ But it didn't stop there. For days afterward she'd continue to smell of the rancidness and he wouldn't allow her anywhere near his person for fear of outright fainting. He'd tried everything too, from attempting to dunk her underwater to chasing her with scented oils. All of which ended with a very aggrieved fetid-smelling fairy and a stolen hat accompanied by tiny welts covering his skin on his part.

He sighed. At least this way he'd have a shield to protect himself.

Just as her wings began to droop and Link was about to receive his due victory, a figure stole out of the shadows and caught the corner of his eye.

"Really now, is this little gem worth subjecting the entire village of Kakariko to your incessant bickering?" Even though he was bandaged and his mouth concealed by a veil, Link could still practically feel his smirk radiating from clear across the alleyway.

"Sheik…" he growled warningly, "Do not get involved."

The Sheikah warrior's eyes sparkled as he twirled the red rupee on a gauzed finger, the light catching it in glimmers of twinkling magenta. "Is that a threat, great hero?"

His eyes narrowed, "Aren't you supposed to be lurking in the shadows, appearing only when it's most convenient, I don't know… _guiding_ me?"

Sheik let the rupee fall from his finger and he snatched it midair in exaggeration. "What are talking about? I am guiding you, and this seemed like quite the expedient time to me."

With growing ire, his fairy's sudden appearance behind Sheik did not go unnoticed by Link. Neither did her tongue that she stuck out at him. "Pardon, but I don't see how taunting and guiding fall under the same category," he intoned, staring at his traitor of a partner.

"If that is what I must do to _guide_ you away from chastising your poor fairy then it befalls on you, hero," he explained with nonchalance and a shrug to match. Link even heard the soft twinkling of a goading giggle emit from the glowing orb behind the warrior. He clenched his fists in irritation.

"What unmans you so? The knowledge I have the very object that you seek right here in the palm of my hand," in which he uncurled his fingers to reveal said object, "or that I've spared your fairy from your objectifying plans?"

There was that word again, _objectify_. As if he were Ganondorf himself ordering his minions to do his dirty work. These were supposed to be his friends for Goddessakes! He unfurled his hands then fisted them again, silently pondering his next move. Should he lunge after Sheik and attempt to grab the rupee? He was quick. He'd see him coming a league off. Or should he subject himself to giving into whatever demands he'd have of him in order to earn it respectfully? Then Navi would never let him hear the end of it and he'd be doomed to listen to her recounts of 'remember that one time…'

His pride or his morality?

Meanwhile, his ex-partner and ex-Sheikah guide were whispering amongst each other. A sight that made Link grind his teeth in aggravation.

With a nod, Sheik pulled back and Navi darted around his head.

"We've come to a conclusion," his stoic red eyes belying the humor behind them. Link unclenched his hands. "I'll give you the rupee, on one condition."

 _Here it comes…_

"You have to catch it."

Link blinked, nonplussed. That was it? This was going to be much easier than he thought.

He leaned forward, holding out his awaiting palms. He had no doubt in his abilities. Ever since they'd cleansed the Forest Temple and he defeated the poe sisters, not to mention Ganondorf's phantom, he felt quite confident in his hand-eye coordination.

What a piece of chu-jelly pie.

He watched Sheik flip the ruby gem out of his hands and into the air, preparing for the arc and its descent back down. A grin creeped up on his face. He could have at least thrown it away from him, it would have been more of a challenge that way. Oh well, who was he to complain? He was going to finally get his shield!

It was just after maneuvering himself directly under the rupee, ensuring a catch, that he saw the little blue ball dart in and out of his vision. With it, vanished the rupee.

He blinked, unable to fathom what had just transpired. Then realization dawned on him like a heavy weight of hot rage.

"NAVI!"

Without sparing another second, the hero tore off after his fairy partner once more, weaving in and out of buildings, interrupting children's play, destroying rose bushes and carton displays, even climbing on rooftops. Meanwhile, Sheik took his place amongst the shadows, enjoying the show.

One bruised elbow, a tomato splattered back (thanks to another peeved vendor), and a soaked boot later, Link appeared around the archery shop with a skip in his step and his prize triumphantly displayed in his hand. Navi fluttered complacently behind him.

"Almost an hour, I'm impressed Navi. You really gave the Hero of Time a run for his rupee," Sheik began with a laugh as said hero sourly glared, his jubilancy suddenly deflated along with his ego. As if just realizing that his shoe was filled with water, Link groaned and leaned against a brick wall, promptly yanking off the boot and dumping its contents with a splatter.

Sheik raised his eyebrows in which Navi responded, "Mishap near the well, narrowly avoided drowning."

" _You_ narrowly avoided drowning, you mean! When _I_ caught you and threatened to do so!" An apoplectic Link rebutted.

"Until _I_ pulled down your hat and _you_ stumbled in, buffoon!"

"Mouse with wings!"

"Dunder-headed moblin!"

"Smelly keese!"

A loud cough interrupted the two and Link was the first to look away only to see Sheik pointing at the sky.

"Wasn't this all about getting some shield?"

Staring at the salmon colored clouds, Link sprang at the realization and took off around the corner, slinging a slew of curses. The Sheikah and fairy waited until his green garb vanished out of sight then exchanged a knowing look.

"It's closed, isn't it?" He asked dryly.

Navi beamed. "Twenty minutes ago. After that it was just all good fun."

They stayed there like that for quite some time, Sheik with folded arms and crossed legs leaning against the wall, Navi flitting about in absolute delight. Townsfolk tapered off one by one until the town-square became nearly barren and the sky a deep violet. The clamor died down and in its place were the night bugs of early spring, yet too cold for a full chorus.

"Come, let's dig you up some deku grass, shall we?"

And that's how Link spent the rest of his night, huddled a fair distance away from the campfire, shield-less, cold, and watching his fairy nonchalantly suckle on deku grass with simmering besetment. Curiously, a certain Sheikah warrior was nowhere to be seen.

Yet, even as the hero sat on the frigid ground, dwelling on the absence of his pride and the noxious fumes he'd have to endure for the days to come, he was happy and so was Navi. They were happy in a nightmare-ridden world, even if only for a moment.

And that meant more to him than any stupid shield.


	3. Shadows

**A/N:** Are you paying attention to the dates of each journal entry? This one seems to be peculiarly close to the last one... perhaps you all will be able to spot some foreshadowing that will soon be appearing.

* * *

 _Fifth of March, twenty-four days since his awakening, The Lost Woods_

 _Impa told me to stay my distance. To only interact with him when need be._

 _But it was difficult._

 _It was difficult to watch him discover the tainted innocence of his past— once alive and now destroyed. To watch him draw his sword in aggrieved fury, slicing and stabbing any creature under Ganondorf's influence that crossed his path with reckless abandon. It was as if he thought the bloodier his sword became the more wrong he could right. Impa said that this was a boon to our cause. A retribution-seeking Hero of Time was better than a diffidently sheltered Hero of Time. In many ways, she was correct._

 _Yet I still worried._

 _Slowly but surely, that effervescent boy that I had known seven years ago was beginning to disappear. In his place was a grief-stricken warrior, calloused and hardened by an unfair destiny, and it would only become worse._

 _Desperately, I wanted to reach out to him. To wipe the green blood of monsters off his face, to take the sword from his grasp and replace it with my hand instead, to hold him as he thrashed about from nightmares in his sleep. I wanted to sooth his worries and erase his pain._

 _But how could I do that, knowing it was I who caused it?_

* * *

 **Shadows**

The trees moaned their resistance as a tidal wave of arctic wind flooded through their branches, leaving brittle leaves torn and frayed. An owl hooted its displeasure and bullfrog croaked its dissent then all was drowned in the howling of the breeze. The Lost Woods was the only region in Hyrule unaffected by seasonal changes. Spring had yet to blossom through iridescent flowers and warm rain, but here in the endless expanse of trees, leaves remained green and grass continued to grow tall and lush.

Seasonal immunity be damned. Much to Sheik's chagrin, it was still bloody freezing.

With a shaking tremor, she pulled her shawl tighter around her neck as if it would provide her warmth against the bitter cold. It didn't help that she sat perched high in a swaying tree top. Chancing a glance down below, she caught sight of sallow glowing embers and a shadowed heap. Silently cursing the absence of moonlight she resigned herself to pulling her legs into her chest and praying for the sweet reprieve of sleep. She closed her eyes and thought of much warmer memories.

She didn't know how much time had passed but just as she had begun to feel the deep lulls of sleep press in on her consciousness, a soft whickering of the air around her wrenched her eyes back open. Blinded by a radiant blue light, she instinctively squeezed them shut again.

Sheik groaned. "Can you tone down the brightness please?"

"Oh, sorry," a voice squeaked. Hesitantly she opened an eye, testing the waters. "Better?"

Satisfied with the dulled glimmer, she nodded.

"He's cold," the fairy stated bluntly.

The Sheikah shrugged, gaze listlessly falling to the sleeping lump below, "So fetch him another blanket."

Another gust of ice rattled through the trees and Sheik mustered all her willpower not to shiver in response. She gritted her teeth.

"I'm cold too," Navi whined.

She let out a desultory sigh and without sparing the fairy another look, leapt off her perch and lithely landed on the forest floor below. There would be no winning with Navi— that she knew. A part of her was thankful for her persistence however, as it granted her a short respite from the frigid treetops.

Putting her Sheikah training to good use, she stealthily made her way towards the diminished campfire all the while keeping a keen eye on the hero. If there was anyone more reflexively aware than her, even in sleep, it would be him. With a cringe, she remembered the first time she had been found out while under the assumption that he was in deep slumber.

 _That_ was an embarrassing memory. Impa would have been ashamed.

"He's out, I promise. Deader than an Ice Keese in Death Mountain."

Sheik raised her eyebrows at that.

The fairy sighed, "Alright, bad analogy. You know what I mean."

Despite Navi's words, she decided that she'd rather not take her chances and made sure to keep her back close to the beckoning shadows. An easy escape.

Carefully, she unraveled a gauzed fingertip and fought the urge to instantly retract as the biting cold assailed her unprotected skin. Instead she closed her eyes and concentrated on pulling warmth from the core of her body, a tasked that proved itself more difficult in such frosty climates. Then in a spark of heat, a small flame was produced in the center of the mound of firewood. Pleased with her efforts, Sheik promptly rewrapped her finger and looked to the satiated fairy hovering next to the warm blaze.

"I see you still haven't lost your magic touch," Navi quipped with a contented sigh.

Sheik looked past the glowing orb next to her and focused her sights on the unmoving bedroll. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. "He's sleeping on the ground." Normally he propped himself against a tree, sword at the ready, and chin slightly tipped towards his chest. Sheik never knew if he was truly asleep or simply resting, a tactic she understood all too well.

Yet strangely enough, his sword had been cast aside behind his back this time around. That was certainly a rare sight.

"Queer, isn't it?" Navi replied, seemingly reading her thoughts. "I didn't even have to lecture him on the importance of a good night's rest. It's probably the first time he's really slept since… well, you know."

Sheik pursed her lips in thought. Perhaps the battle with Ganondorf's phantom was more taxing than he let on? With growing anxiety, she recalled the number of singes he bore on his skin afterwards— electrocution no doubt, and the multitude of bloody cuts and scrapes where a blade had bitten him.

It had been his first real battle in his adult body. His skill had not yet reached its potential and his technique was still lacking in comparison to the great hero of legend. The legend that destiny told him to live up to. Her heart reached out to him, through the flickering flames and the chilled air, through the darkness and its shadows, through her disguise that was Sheik and down to her core that was Zelda.

Silently, she stood and crept towards his sleeping figure. As she neared she could make out the loose strands of flaxen hair from under his green hood and the cerulean hooped earring that gleamed in the firelight. He truly was profoundly asleep she realized as she watched his chest rise and fall. Carefully kneeling beside him, she reached out a hesitant hand and brushed away errant wisps of hair from his face.

She had never seen him so calm. So peaceful. Is this how he looked for seven years? Her eyes began to water at the thought and she quickly shook her head, forcing them to subside. What she would give to curl up next to him in the warm cocoon of his bedroll, or to hold him as he slept, to will away the scars of his battles. If only. If _only…_

She wanted to rip of her veil right then and there, to let the mask fade away into the broken lies that slipped from her mouth and dissolve away into a past of regrets. She wanted him to wake up and see _her_ face— Zelda's face. Her blonde hair and blue eyes, her pale skin and un-bandaged figure. The need consumed her, every inch of her until a faint voice spoke, unbidden from the corners of her mind.

 _You are to be his guide and nothing else. Do you understand? From here on out, you are a Sheikah warrior— a male born and raised in our lost art. You are the protector of the Hyrule and the last of our kind. Princess Zelda is dead._

Retracting her hand as if she had been bitten by an adder, she withdrew into herself and away from the slumbering hero. Had she almost…?

Across the snapping firelight, Navi watched her despondently. The two shared a look of unsaid secrets and mutual understandings before the Sheikah once again stole away to the safety of the shadows. They welcomed her in a dark embrace that whispered promises to keep her secrets and hold them safe as long as she stayed. She exulted in them, accepting their comfort and craving their solicitude. Stifling a gasping sob, she leapt high above in the treetops and didn't stop as her feet soared from limb to limb.

Sleep was lost on Sheik that night as she suspended herself in dark branches, cold wind attacking her through the thin layers of her disguise, threatening to rip it apart and reveal her to all of Hyrule. Instead she thought about the boy from the forest and the hero he was becoming. She thought about a different world in which she remained princess and he a chivalrous prince, come to sweep her off her feet and fill her ears with sweet-nothings. Her ideals carried her away like a river's tide and she rode it as far as she could until she remembered the bindings that chained her heart.

It was her own doing that she sat there alone in the darkness of the woods, bound by secrets of duty and honor. That he, a once carefree child now robbed and hard-bitten with the casualties of war, could never go a night without the fear of being slaughtered in his sleep.

It was by her own hand that she had chosen the shadows as her companions.

Because the water had run dry.


	4. Rest

_Fourteenth of March, thirty-three days upon awakening, Death Mountain Fairy Fountain_

 _There are many things that one would classify under the job description of the Hero of Time._

 _Obtaining the Master Sword? Check._

 _Awakening the Sages? Check._

 _Defeating Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, Emperor of Evil, Bearer of the Triforce of Power? Check._

 _Saving Hyrule from absolute peril? Check._

 _One thing that wasn't listed in my repertoire of duties?_

 _Rest. No check._

* * *

 **Rest**

It was warm. Not the unpleasant kind of warm, but the warmth that you feel on a nice spring day. Just after the harsh cold of winter has finally broken and the white snow has melted away to the soft greens of budding grass. Birds sing their morning song in harmony with the hammering of a woodpecker and the clicking of crickets come to play after a long rest. Lazy clouds drift through an azure sky, dotting its pristine canvas with splotches of shimmering silver.

Perhaps even a small child runs through a variegation of luminescent flowers that sway like a wave in the breeze. The child is as blonde as the sun above him and his clothes are as green as the grass below him. He giggles like children do, carefree and vivacious. Yet he's alone and he stops running because he realizes this fact.

As if on cue, the clouds begin to lengthen and transfigure into monstrosities of darkened grey, heavy and foreboding. They blot out the sun and its light fades with the blue of the sky. The once rainbow dappled flowers are now cast with veins of black. Lightning strikes and an onslaught of rain pours down from the heavens and soaks the boy through his once green clothes. Wind slices his cheek and whips his exposed skin like erratic flames licking for a taste.

The boy cries out because it hurts, oh Goddesses, it _hurts_. Where did all of this pain come from? The wind bites his calf and he stumbles foreword in agony because the flames are crawling inside him, looking to wreak their havoc and make their home. He doubles over, clutching at his throat, clawing in desperation for some air. He just needs _air_. Where had all the oxygen gone? He coughs and gasps and wheezes yet nothing comes. Is he dying? Is this what it feels like?

Everything begins to dim, the flowers and the grass and the sky all fade until there's nothing left but the torturing anguish. It's hot. Too hot. It hurts, it hurts, oh, it burns so badly.

The screams were the first things that registered in his brain as the blackness began to subside. Then the hands on his torso, touching this place and that at a God-like speed as if there were ten instead of two. Finally he could make out the soft melodic voice that reminded him of the birds and the crickets and the gentle breeze on his skin.

"Link… please. Please stop screaming… I… I—" Then there was crying. Stifled sobs that he could feel trembling through the hands that caressed him.

"—I'm trying, but I don't think… I don't…"

The pain had subsided to waves momentarily. Not completely but enough for him to grit his teeth and realize how raw his throat felt. How long had he been yelling? He couldn't remember. He couldn't think of anything but the touches on his chest and how cool they felt against his skin.

Something wet splattered on his cheek and for a moment he thought that the rain clouds had returned until one eye gently pried open.

The first thing he saw was a shock of blonde hair coiled into a braid that wrapped around and blocked his view. Second were the shimmering crystals that reflected a plethora of colors— too many to count. Shades of crimson and turquoise, magenta and tangerine, sage and violet. Prisms of light illuminated the room around him and over the soft hiccups of crying he could hear the tricking of water, cascading down the gemstones and intertwining in a river of rainbows.

There was only one kind of place in all of Hyrule that was so magically beautiful and in a bout of relief he realized where he was. He just didn't remember how he got there.

"Sheik… where's Sheik…?" he groaned and he felt a weight shift on top of him in response.

Blood-red eyes caught his squinted gaze and he tried to sit up to get a better view of them only for a hand to gently push him back down.

"Stop. You'll reopen your wounds."

Farore, how could he had not figured out that she was a woman sooner? Had he really been that dense? Her voice was melodic and as smooth as undisturbed water, her eyelashes long and feminine, and her lips… still had a veil over them. How irritating.

Tear tracks stained her tanned cheeks and a thought occurred to him that made him feel warm.

Had she been crying for his sake?

"Where—"

She had scooted closer and took it upon herself to continue dressing his stomach.

"You've sustained a copious amount of wounds on top of the other ones from…" she trailed off, obviously disturbed by what she left unsaid. Link wondered what could have gotten her so rankled and was even more troubled that he couldn't remember. "I… I managed to get you to a Fairy Fountain."

He closed his eyes, inhaling the fragrant aroma that he'd come to associate with the enchanted glades. Hints of lavender and patchouli and something akin to dried honeysuckle. He tried to focus on what had happened. He'd never heard Sheik act so ununiformed… so _emotional_. This stuttering, sobbing mess was a stark contrast to her usual stoic demeanor and it unhinged him. He silently cursed himself again for his lapse in memory.

Then a thought struck him like a shrill hiss of an arrow and he sat up in a cold-sweat of anxiety.

"Where's Navi?"

Sheik gasped as his question gave way to a moan and he clutched his torso in pain.

"Link! Can you stop being a reckless fool for just a moment? You've torn some of your stitches!"

He struggled against her hands and his body's protests until he collapsed onto his back in agony-ridden defeat. He saw the crimson liquid before he felt its wet trickle drip from under the ruddy soaked gauze and down the bare curvatures of his stomach. It _burned._ Why in Hyrule did it burn so badly?

With a start, his eyes spotted the long, grotesque claw mark down the side of his ribs that Sheik had yet to tend to. The sight of it made his stomach turn over, amusing, because that's exactly what looked as though happened. His skin had been raked open and red flesh poked through, open and vulnerable. Along the perimeter of the wound, the skin had bubbled and discolored as though a talon of fire had carved into it. He let his head fall back onto the ground with a _thud_ , suddenly faint.

"Why wouldn't you let me help you?" He heard Sheik's soft whisper, almost as though she were mumbling to herself. "You weren't fit to fight that dragon in your condition…"

Dragon. That's right.

Warily, he held his right hand in front of him, his glove singed and melted into his skin— a pain that he didn't even feel anymore. He remembered holding the Megaton Hammer in that hand, the Master Sword in the left. There was fire leaping like Bubbles, craters filled with lava awaiting a single misstep, and hissing and, and…

Link chanced a look down at his feet only to see that his right boot had completely molten. If there was a difference between his foot and the once brown leather, he couldn't tell.

This didn't look good. Not good at all. And he was suddenly reminded of a time, only a mere few days ago, in which every breath he took was a knife in his chest and he could no longer focus on anything but a beckoning darkness. He was in these predicaments quite too often, he realized.

"—Link. Link, can you look at me?"

Her voice had filtered back into his consciousness and he somehow managed to flick his eyes over to her face hovering above him. They were so heavy.

"I need you to bite down on this."

Only slightly aware of what was going on, he felt something thick and leathery shoved into his mouth.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

Why was she sorry? What was happen—

Screaming. That's all he could hear. That's all he could taste. The metallic burn of a scream being ripped from his throat like a wolfos tearing at its prey. Then the pain sunk in. The agony overtaking his every nerve, every muscle, every thought.

Something had snapped. Back into place? Out of place? He couldn't be sure.

He felt as though he were back in the Forest Temple fighting Ganon's phantom. He saw the electrifying ball of magic but he couldn't get his arm to move his sword fast enough as if he were underwater. Electricity collided with his chest and it rippled in waves down his arms and legs to the tips of his fingers and inside his head. He yelled and shrieked in growing anguish.

But when he opened his eyes it wasn't the hollowed craters of the phantom he was seeing, it was Sheik's watery red stare. Then everything began to fade and he welcomed it. But somewhere within the comforting darkness, he knew.

He knew that he would not wake.

Fidgeting slightly and garnering the attention of a distressed Sheik as a result, he mumbled, "My pocket… summon… Great Fairy…" His consciousness was waning and the kaleidoscopic crystals surrounding him were beginning to lose their astral hues, morphing into a dull mess of nothing. He remembered seeing her frantic red eyes once more, her mouth opened but no words came out and then there was nothing.

* * *

The first thing Link took note of was that he was mostly submerged in water, the second— he was naked. He let out a soft grunt as he brought a hand to his head, closing his eyes.

It felt nice, the water. He had been so hot before.

He opened his mouth to inhale the cool air and couldn't help but notice how nice it was to just _breathe_. No longer did the air in his lungs burn with the coagulation of blood; the pain had more or less abated much to Link's relief. All that was left was a dull ache behind his eyes in which he languidly pried open. He blinked once, twice, and then the tiny rainbow stars above him came into view, twinkling with a welcome greeting.

He gingerly pushed himself into a seated position, still holding his head in his right hand and didn't notice his fully intact glove until he pulled it away from his face, scrutinizing it. He flexed his fingers in wonder. His skin was clean and soft, his gauntlets and fingerless mitt looked cleaner than he'd ever seen them. Did he even daresay they were polished?

His boots which sat at the fountains edge, fully repaired. The gauze on his stomach, no longer pink with stain. The claw marks on his side, nothing but discolored aberrant scars as if it happened years ago.

The Great Fairy's Magic really did wonders.

His eyes drifted listlessly over the cavern's splendiferous walls of minerals and back around to the granite spring he sat in, its water pooling from the trickles running along the glowing rocks. Twin green flames stood sentinel on either side, emanating a verdant glow that sparkled off of the water's surface. Finally, his gaze landed on the slumped figure of an exhausted Sheikah warrior sitting against one of the larger rocks, one arm draped over a knee and head bowed in an uncomfortable sleep. Clutched within her tight grasp— The Ocarina of Time.

He looked down at his ill clothed body save for his undergarments —thank the Goddesses— and back at the slumbering Sheik. Then his eyes caught an unsettling sight, a long streak of red liquid trailing from the cavern's entrance to a worryingly large pool in the center of the walkway. It led up the stairs to the fountain where he sat and it vanished completely. Had she gone through that much trouble for him? Had he really lost that much blood?

With a slight tremor, he realized how close he must have been. _Again._ And then with a much more startling realization that left his chest aching with something sorrowful, something guilty, he looked at the unconscious Sheikah with a renewed sense of gratitude.

Sheik saved his life. _Again_.

Carefully he stood from the water, droplets rolling off his arms and legs, dripping from the back of his head and into the pool with soft splatters. He began redressing himself, all the while thinking how arduous the task must have been for Sheik. A fair amount of heat creeped up his neck at that thought and he peeked an eye to make sure she hadn't stirred.

Patting down his tunic and tightening his belt buckle he silently made his way down the steps and toward her sleeping form. Just as he was about to reach out a hand, a soft glow caught his eye. There beside Sheik laying on a small pillow of her bandages was Navi, her usual bright gleam duller than normal. His stomach dropped with thoughts of grave premonitions. Urgently stooping to his knees, he crouched over and ran a hesitant finger in front of her face.

She was still alive, he realized with an exhale. Just unconscious.

Had she been hurt in the battle as well?

He grit his teeth in austerity. Had she put herself in harm's way to help him?

Fighting back the urge to wake her up and chastise her for reckless behavior— a commonplace interaction between the two, except that he was usually on the receiving end —he slouched down against the wall with a small huff.

With a wry look at the fairy on his left side and the Sheikah to his right, he thought about how far they had gone to ensure his safety. As much as it pained him to know that they did, he would do the same for them in a heartbeat. They both had saved him from absolute peril on multiple occasions at their expense.

What was wrong with them? Did they not value their own lives?

His face twisted into a grimace and he stifled a soft groan as he covered his face in his hand. They were a group of martyrs on a secret quest to vanquish a terrible evil. Between the three of them someone was going to end up dead.

He lifted his head from his palm and gazed down at Navi again. The bandages she was laying on were soaked with fairy water. He glanced back over at Sheik.

She had saved _both_ of their lives.

Link was suddenly overcome with an urge to reach out and brush away those stray wisps of blonde hair that framed her concealed face. He wanted to thank her and put his arms around her and…

And?

He swallowed thickly and looked away, choosing to stare at the twinkling crystals instead.

Being the Hero of Time was an onerous task. One that on most days he wasn't sure he could even live up to, let alone be labeled as such. It was painful and tough, and even downright horrendous. But sometimes it was fulfilling. Sometimes the blood and the monsters and the danger were all worth just that one gracious look of a mother he had reunited with her child. Or the smile of a man whom he'd aided in driving back an infestation of wolfos from his village. Or the tears that were shed in an overwhelming "thank you". All of these people, they saw him as some sort of savior. Some kind of blessing from the Goddesses themselves.

In some ways, he was.

And there was something about that that made him feel content.

To bring hope to a hopeless world.

Yes. He'd die a thousand times over if only to achieve just that.

He allowed his gaze to wander back to Sheik's closed eyes, disheveled hair, and limp body. And Link knew with certain absolution that this mysterious guide of his would too.

A pack of martyrs they may be, but he knew if anyone was capable of saving Hyrule, it would be them. The Hero of Time smiled despite himself as his eyes drifted closed.

But for now, Hyrule would wait while they got some much needed rest.

* * *

 **A/N:** I have this headcanon that Sheik (or Navi, I suppose...) is always coming to Link's rescue. I mean, how else are you supposed to explain his resurrection each time you get a game over? XD

PS. I probably replayed the fairy fountain theme a hundred times while writing this.

PSS. Now begins the fun game of "fill in the blanks until I post the chapter that does".

PSSS. This is not the chapter that Link finds out about Sheik's gender, this is shortly thereafter. Hmm, wonder when _that_ takes place?


End file.
